Smoky Mountain Family Historian

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Is Your Organization at Risk of Losing Its Tax-Exempt Status?

I saw an article on one of the local television station web sites that was encouraging people to check the IRS list of organizations at risk of losing their tax-exempt status to make sure that theirs was not listed. I'm not sure what types of organizations that I expected to see on the list as I clicked one state, but I was alarmed at what I did see. There are many historical societies, Friends of the Library organizations, cemetery associations, fraaternal organizations, and DAR chapters among those in danger. According to the IRS site, "Tax-exempt organizations that do not satisfy annual filing requirements for three consecutive years automatically lose their tax-exempt status. The IRS is providing one-time relief for such organizations that have filing due dates on or after May 17 and before October 15, 2010. The list includes organizations for which the IRS does not have a record of a required annual filing for 2007 and 2008, and whose 2009 return, due on or after May 17 and before October 15, 2010, has not yet been received." PLEASE CHECK to make sure that organizations with which you are affiliated are not included on the list. There is a PDF or Excel file available for each state.

Monday, July 19, 2010

A Hot Summer

This has been one of those "hot" summers where the temperature seems to want to hover in the 95 to 100 degree range. I don't deal well with "hot." I'd much prefer for it to be cooler where I can add layers of clothing or blankets, if necessary. About the only thing "hot" weather accomplishes for me is a sunburn. I can remember short periods of time where we've had hot weather in recent years. For example, about 10 or 11 years ago, our choir took a trip to New Orleans around Labor Day weekend. The temperature was 100 or above for our entire trip and had been for a few days. The last time I really remember these extended periods of very hot temperatures was back in the late 1970s when I was in high school. I remember that the temperature was above 90 for almost the entire month of June. One reason I remember it so well was that I was working at our church camp that entire month as a counselor and canteen manager. The heat was awful. Those of us on staff would go for swims at night after the kids were in bed. Then we'd raid the kitchen before we went to bed. Those were some fun times with a lot of special memories!

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Introduction to Genealogy

Have you been looking for a genealogy course that offers college credit? Jackson State Community College in Tennessee is offering a 3-hour "Introduction to Genealogy" course which will be taught by Tennessee State Librarian and Archivist, Charles Sherrill. The course will focus mainly on Tennessee genealogical research, but it will cover many source types. Cost of the course is $395. It runs from August 28 to December 15, 2010. The deadline for registration is the first week of class, but you will not want to wait that long to sign up. The course is being taught online and does not have set meeting times. To speed things up, mark "non-degree seeking" on your form so that you don't have to do pre-admissions testing or send high school transcripts. The admissions form is at http://www.jscc.edu/admissions.

Here's a more comprehensive description of the course:

LIB 1001: Introduction to Genealogy. Students in this in-depth course will become familiar with many online and print sources, will interact with one another and the instructor in discussion forums and email, and will complete lessons to learn interesting genealogical skills.

Students will learn

* why people are given certain names at birth* what family stories and traditions have been passed down* how to chart what they already know about their ancestry* how to use free software to organize and manipulate family data* how to use the records common to genealogists, like the U.S. Federal Census, vital records, and military records* how to locate and use court records, immigrations, and land records

Class participants will also have access to Ancestry Library edition through ProQuest.

Those interested in taking LIB 1001 in the fall semester at Jackson State Community College will need to apply for admission to the College online at http://www.jscc.edu/admissions. There, find the online admission form, and enroll as a non-degree-seeking student to avoid needing to send transcripts and taking placement testing. The campus ID you are sent upon admission will allow you to register for the course online.